Shroud Unveiled
by Serocco
Summary: What lies underneath the mask of the resident Samurai Zanpakuto - Senbonzakura? A pair has tried and failed repeatedly, but after enlisting the aid of several others, will they be able to finally see the true face of Senbonzakura?
1. Boredom Breeds Stories

I'd always had an interest in writing, especially about either my own original stories, or stories about my favorite characters, so here it is: First ever fanfic. Enjoy and critique as you may, so long as it's constructive. My thanks to Sourpatch-Devil, for collaborating and helping me with the story points. Also, reviews are appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, its characters, the various references to Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece and the like, nor do I wish to profit from this. This is simply a fan story made for fun.

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"It's the second coming of Kakashi Hatake", drawls out a tired Haineko, laying her stomach out on a small table before letting out a husky, elongated yawn, several days' worth of fatigue finally catching up to the normally lazy bum of a catgirl. This is what happens when you spend an entire week trying, but oh-so-easily failing at unmasking the resident Samurai Zanpakuto - Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.

For about a week straight since their first try, and another week after they collectively rematerialized, every last one of their attempts at seeing what his face looks like ended in failure, sometimes even public embarrassment. Their first try, sneakin' a peak at a window in the Mens' bath didn't work; he still kept that ogre-shaped mask on, barely even reacting - if at all when he spotted two curious (read: pervy) girls staring at his nude, lean, soaking wet body that was oh-so-strategically hidden by smoke.

_"Flashin' it all out on display like a prostitute…dude's a tease and he doesn't even have to try..."_, quietly mumbles a drowsy Haineko, several slight shades of warmth creeping up her cheeks, two fingers playfully twirling stray strands of messy, maroon hair, her tail blissfully curling and swaying around in excitement, and her triangular cat ears repeatedly twitching in eager mischief and delight.

Around five meters away from the table, a medium-sized kimono-wearing young girl, her hair long and brown, held together by two yellow pins at opposite sides, with a pink and white fruit-resembling hairpin just above her left eye, lays her slender frame down on a nearby bench, lazily allowing her over-sized round temple bells inch further away from her at a snails' pace. Furrowing her brow a bit in confusion, Tobiume briefly thinks to herself, _"A scarecrow can have a name?"_, before slightly tilting her head to the side, her brown eyes following suit, and replying in a coy tone, "Was he as good in the sack as your last boyfriend?", the corners of her lips shaping into a sly smirk.

"He'd _have_ to be with that body..." replied an absentminded Haineko, still twirling her hair, still curling her tail, her tongue eagerly licking her upper lip, her cheeks feeling even warmer and her throat letting out a lascivious giggle, gleefully visualizing an especially nude, deliciously drenched pair of male Zanpakuto - Senbonzakura and Hyorinmaru, playfully fondling and teasing one another in the Mens' bathroom… but that wooden mask is _such_ a cocktease...

Taken aback, Tobiume's smirk promptly dropped, her left eyebrow raising and her eyes narrowing at the oblivious catgirl, partly amused at the response, partly concerned for her friends' sanity. Maybe the repeated screw-ups moved on over to her head, kicked out all the brain cells that still (may have) worked, redecorated everything with a bomb and…?

Interrupting her thought process, sitting on the kimono girls' shoulder, the small-sized, golden-lit fairy Zanpakuto, Suzumebachi answers Tobiume's previous question, "Some platinum blond mentor dude from a ninja village; always wears a mask, even has a mask under his mask", halfheartedly kicking her legs up and down to keep herself from falling asleep.

"How do you two know that?" Tobiume asked curiously.

"It was a big mistake on my part," Haineko replied with another wide yawn, stretching her arms out. "A couple of days ago, everyone was busy, nothing they ever did was any fun and I was bored outta my mind, so I figured I'd visit that Ichigo guy and his friends in the human world." Placing her palms onto the table and swiftly turning over her body upward, Haineko dully stared at the ceiling, scooting the upper half of her torso up and positioning her arms onto the wooden table to keep her slender, curvy figure balanced, her ample bosom somehow _refusing_ to jiggle, before continuing with her story.

"I mean, it was the only entertaining option of the day, so I snuck out at night, grabbed a gigai from Nemu's place, captured a random Hell Butterfly, and went through a Senkaimon with it guiding me." Tilting her head to the side a bit, furrowing her eyebrows and morphing a slight scowl, she continued with "…I guess I was too harsh on the little guy, when I forced it to open up that Senkaimon, so… something happened, forgot what," she gave out a slight shrug, "the butterfly may have twisted the Dangai currents, and I felt like I was literally thrown outta the Dangai – lost half my clothes," her scowl deepened in mild irritation. "Fell on a giant bush, picked out a set of grass, drenched it in water to wash out the bugs, let it out to dry for a while and made it into leafy swimwear with a ruffled mini-skirt," she continued in a near-deadpanned manner, closing her eyelids as she felt the cold breeze of the air collide with her delicious, symmetrical face.

"That came with its own set of problems", she resumed even as the air current grew stronger, and moved her head to observe the wall adjacent to the table she laid on, but the growing interest from her fellow female Zanpakuto seems to have passed beyond her notice. "Saw a bunch of bugs all over the area, had to protect my skin, so I brought down and put on the grassy swimwear, but it was still dripping wet, so I was soaked the entire time", she explained with a seemingly irritated tone, turning her head towards the window to avoid the eyes of her friends, her lips twitching into a flirtatious smirk. Somehow, at least…. it felt rather nice, drenched with little clothing, especially in those three 'treasured' areas of a young woman – the weather was warm enough to keep her from getting cold, thankfully.

"_Always been a knack for stylish and revealing outfits_," Haineko addressed in her thoughts. _"It makes me feel sexy~", _her smirk widening in satisfaction, coyly picturing the image of her grassy swimwear outfit just barely clinging to the curves of her figure. Having inherited her gorgeous looks from Rangiku Matsumoto, it would only be natural for the two of them to enjoy flashing out their voluptuous bodies for the eyes to behold and admire, male and female alike, regardless of their orientation. However, that is not to say that the two of them would normally ever seduce or flaunt their looks; they simply enjoy and appreciate looking and feeling good, even poking fun at their enticing appearances to lighten the mood. In fact, one has to wonder why the two of them - among the most desirable and sought after women residing within the Soul Society - haven't signed on as models or porn stars by this point. Bit hard to picture either of them as virgins, even, but then again, there's always a chance they actually aren't; a perception of the Matsumotos that is shared among the vast majority of their friends.

_"__Did anyone ever see me back there, at that lake near the bush…?" _ She wondered briefly, before seeing a bright clad of golden armor from the corner of her eyes, and continued with the story.

"I did see a giant mountain with about five faces carved onto it, plus a large village thing below it", she noted, repositioning her body more towards the center of the table, laying her head down onto the wooden furniture, placing the hand and wrist of her left arm under the back of her head, lazily rubbing the lower section of her weary neck. "Figured I needed a better set of clothes, or maybe just a towel, so I walked around the village for a bit, but I wasn't exactly the hardest to spot there…."

"Curiosity often does kill the cat," chimes in a snickering Suzumebachi, her boredom finally replaced with interest and potential mischief. The mischievous fairy had only been told of the summarized points from that incident through Haineko herself, shortly after returning back into the Seireitei through a Senkaimon, but never the whole picture. Oh, the plentiful rumors this amiable Tinkerbell wannabe could stir up with all that info….

"Too bad it didn't," Tobiume muttered, turning her head to avoid the sharp gaze of the cat zanpakuto.

"…especially with my clothes," Haineko continued, forcefully sticking her tongue out at her so-called friends. "I mean, a pervy, bisexual catgirl with claws, fangs, ears and a tail, wearing a soaked two-piece leaf swimsuit that just _barely_ clings to her body, and again, _barely_ manages to cover anything at all, especially with the miniskirt, makes an excellent ninja at daytime", she half-joked in a sarcastic, mocking manner that mimicked Tobiume, grinning in satisfaction when the smaller kimono pal somewhat cringed a bit in irritation.

"People looked at me like I was high, but that didn't stop the admirers," she continued, turning her body towards the direction of the bench, her palm resting on her cheek and part of her jawline, lazily tracing shapes on the table with her other arm. "Too many, actually, including some military dudes, so I flash-stepped away." She smiled again, remembering the pleasant breeze of leaping and teleporting across several miles and rooftops. "Once I finally stopped, I saw four people, one adult and three preteens; the adult had on a mask that covered his nose and mouth. One of the kids called him 'Kakashi-sensei' or something and begged him to take off his mask, so he did, but all that was underneath the mask was another." She mumbled in disappointment – apparent hotties always seem to hate their faces, for some reason or other.

"I had to return to the Soul Society right then, because they almost saw me." She sighed, flicking her tail distastefully, her eyelids drooping. "Figuring out what's under Senbonzakura's mask reminds me about what those kids were trying to do."

"Trying to look at what's under Minazuki's robe is the same, but it scares the crap out of everyone," Suzumebachi added, all three females falling eerily silent at that remark. No one even wanted to _interact _with Retsu Unohana's strange, faceless zanpakuto spirit, whom was largely an enigma with no visible body parts, apparently mute and aloof. Not even the bravest males wanted to get a shot at it. Knowing the Fourth Division captain, any being, shinigami or zanpakuto, would be obliterated in a harsh way if they dared to mess with her zanpakuto.

Setting her body upwards on the bench, Tobiume cleared her throat and checked the outside from the small window in the room they were in, preferring to take her mind off Minazuki. The moon was just a crescent sliver of white tonight, but shone brightly amongst the glittering stars, illuminating the darkened pathways and roads scattered around the dimly-lit sections of the Seireitei. An owl hooted noisily from its perch on a nearby tree, but aside from that, all was deadly silent. "The other three should be here," she muttered tiredly. "It's already late, and we've been waiting for at least half an hour already."

"To be more accurate, you three are early. We're the ones on time," a newer, sadistic voice viciously snarled aloud, a small hint of amusement in its tone. All three girls let out an abrupt scream and whirled around, Tobiume falling backwards and smacking her face onto one fire bell, Haineko tipping over the table and falling onto her large rear, and Suzumebachi erratically flying about in shocked surprise, the three soon recovering quickly and spotting the smirking, snickering figures of Zabimaru and Kazeshini at the doorway.

_"Heh, women…," _snorted rudely the demonic Kazeshini, and stepped forward, his dark skin barely lighting up in the single light that hung in the room. His long hair mane swished as he walked forward, placing himself next to Haineko, as she sat back onto a table chair, and began the meeting with this simple phrase, "So, now that we're all here, we can plan properly. Any ideas?"


	2. Settling In

Chapter 2 - Assembly: Settling In

Recovering quickly from the initial surprise, a still somewhat bewildered Suzumebachi shakes her head to either side, flies down to the right half of Tobiume's face, leans her upper body forward, and raises her arm up to her cheek, quietly whispering with a slight giggle into the kimono girls' ear, "Properly? Plan? _Kazeshini_? What has he been smoking?"

Definitely didn't mishear that; of all the Zanpakuto, from the vain and narcissistic Ruri'ro Kujaku, to the enigmatic and faceless Minazuki, the demonic, slaughter-craving, massacre-inducing psycho for hire known as Kazeshini is the absolute _last_ person you'd ever expect to think things through.

Sitting back up from the floor, delicately rubbing her pained face from smashing onto her temple bell earlier, an eye-closed Tobiume mumbles out an irritated groan, but nonetheless, still mildly chuckles at Suzumebachi's comment. Her fairy companion was always one for lightening up almost any mood, once she finds the right ammo for it. Just don't feed her any gossip; she's even worse than _Rangiku_ in that regard.

Placing her other arm onto the floor, Tobiume mildly groaned out in pain once again, as she tried to push herself up, but stopped once she felt someone grab her arm, promptly turning her head and widening her eyes in surprise to see Snakey – the half-boy, half-snake side of Zabimaru – tightly gripping her arm and bringing it around his shoulder, allowing her to lean onto him as she slowly brought her body up from the ground and was led back to the bench, Snakey all the while smirking a bit in a friendly, yet teasing manner.

"_Once again, more potential blackmail, more juicy gossip for this fairy Zanpakuto to give out",_ slyly muses Suzumebachi in her thoughts, her finger placed on her cheek, her lips forming a sly smirk, her head tilted upwards and her eyes facing the ceiling, slowly floating away from her much taller companions back over to the bench, her mind calculating all the possible outcomes and reactions from what she'll have in store.

As they walk towards the bench, her hand still on her head, Tobiume quietly mumbles to Snakey, "You never told us about Kazeshini being in on this….", before separating from the half-human, half-reptile boy's embrace, and with his help, turning her body over and laying down on the bench, the boy releasing his grip on her arm, the girl scooting over to the edge, leaving enough space for him to sit next to her. Tilting his head to the side, closing his eyelids and raising both sleeve-covered hands upwards, Snakey answered in a somewhat apathetic tone, "Hey, he found us right after we called you", simultaneously descending his slender frame onto the bench, crossing his legs and positioning his long reptilian tail over the wooden seat once he finished answering Tobiume's question.

Letting out a mild yawn, Snakey gently hunched forward, placing his right elbow onto his thigh, resting the palm onto his cheek and jaw, and slightly moving his head towards the right, his eyes absentmindedly scanning Tobiume's pretty face, tiredly tells his kimono-wearing companion, "Said he was bored, heard our chat with you guys and wanted in," his tail slithering over his head, ensnaring a pale-green colored, scale-resembling cup with a curved snake tongue sculptured all over the material, and quickly snatching it away from a tray that Chimpette – the half-monkey, half-woman side of Zabimaru – brought before entering the room. Retracting his tail, his left arm ascended into the air, wrapping his covered hand over the cup and bringing it down to his mouth, the reptile boy merrily jugged down the refreshing beverage, near-parched from their long trip back to this place, several bouts of liquid swiftly running down his pale cheeks.

Abruptly handing Tobiume a bottle of ice-cold water, Chimpette lazily replies, "Besides, he was the only one that could light the place up", before jugging down her own share of orange soda, the cold, refreshing beverage swishing, swirling, sinking down and around her mouth, licking off remnants of the orange drink from her lips as she removed the rectangular, monkey-shaped head-cup from her mouth and let out a tired sigh. Legs widely spread about, one arm resting on the wooden material at her back, and the other clutching her beverage, Chimpette released another tired sigh from her parched mouth, her head titled upwards, her eyes facing the ceiling.

_Looking_ for this place wasn't a problem – it's their old hideout during Muramasa's Rebellion, after all, remodeled into a major spot for celebration and relaxation once the Tōjū Rampage ended; _walking_ all the way to it in pitch-black darkness, on the other hand, with a scared-shitless Snakey clinging to - and scratching - your back at all times, plus Kazeshini proving to be an absolute fuck-up with directions, just _barely _giving enough light for us to navigate around the area, was a bastard to handle for nearly two full hours, before finally seeing the silhouette of a golden-lit shade of armor so small it could only belong to Suzumebachi. "_Least that was done and over with"_, said Chimpette in her thoughts, lazily positioning the cup to her lips and jugging down a far portion of her soda, absentmindedly allowing a few husky moans to escape her throat as she swallowed the orange soda, the refreshing fluid rapidly plowing down through her neck.

As to the kimono girl, the pain no longer stinging as badly, placing both her hands onto the beige-colored, vine-resembling cup, the top, middle and bottom all extended into wide and cylindrical extractions almost protruding outward, Tobiume thought curiously to herself, _"New model? Hmm...",_ observantly inspecting the contraption, she continued with _"Feels lighter and looks wider, good for carrying a bit more water than the others..."_.

Bringing the cup to her lips, her eyes spotted the golden tint of Suzumebachi's armor at the edge of her view, stopping to see her fairy companion rush over to grab a small soda bottle cap from the table and swiftly flying towards Tobiume with it in her hands. Her gaze never leaving the fairy, waiting until Suzumebachi laid the bottle cap down on her thigh; Tobiume took hold of the cap and carefully poured a fair share of water into it, handing it to Suzumebachi once finished. Again, Tobiume brought the beverage to her lips, savoring the cold water pass through her lips, into her mouth and down through her throat, flinching a bit when three ice cubes flew into her mouth, but crushed them with her teeth, flicking and rolling her tongue from the inside to melt the remains in her mouth.

"_The cubes are freezing, __but at least I'm awake__"_, Tobiume lamented in her thoughts, brow furrowed, eyes glaring at the cup, slightly shaking the beverage to either side, licking off some remaining water droplets from her lips to dry her tongue off,before taking another shot of her drink.

Meanwhile, a smirking Suzumebachi quickly flew up into the air, her armor illuminating the ground and nearby furniture, her stinger weapon-arm holding the cap from the bottom, her other hand tightly, strongly gripping onto the edge of the filled-up bottle cap, the added weight from the water prompting her to nearly drop it several times along the way, a few stray droplets separating from the cap and splattering onto the ground.

Hovering above the table, Suzumebachi slowly descended onto the center of the wooden furniture, in between Haineko and Kazeshini, removed her grasp from the cap and backed away from it. With a sigh, Suzumebachi closed her eyelids and stretched her limbs out, a husky moan escaping her lips, several bones cracking in response. _"Almost let go a few times back there",_ she lamented in her thoughts, turning to the side and twisting her torso, letting out a few weak cracks and another elongated moan, coupled with mild yawning, before resuming her thoughts.

"_Glad I finally got to do something, at least." _tiredly shrugging her shoulders and frowning a bit in slight indifference, now finished with her workout and opening her eyes to stare at the cap. Upturning her lips into a smirk, Suzumebachi swiftly flew up a few meters from the ground, landing inches from the cap and placing her hand onto the edge, slowly opening her mouth and leaning forward into the refreshing water, eagerly swallowing her share of the icy beverage.

Bringing her beverage to her lips for another time, Chimpette greedily swallowed another batch of ice-cold soda, oblivious to several stray lines of liquid descending down her remarkably voluptuous body.

Highly attractive and desirable, with well-developed boobs, nicely-toned curves, a delicious skin tone, eye-catching green fur coat, a husky voice, and long, rose-colored hair, Chimpette is on par with Haineko in good looks and colorful personalities, sharing several traits of the latter, from assertive sexuality and short-tempered bluntness, to laid-back relaxation and tomboyish attitudes. Playful mischief, flirtatious teasing and perverted naughtiness are what largely differs Haineko from Chimpette, although the latter _can_ be similarly perverted and flirtatious, even a bit playful, just in a somewhat calmer manner – she just had to watch after (and argue) with Snakey all that time prior, so she wasn't as cool-headed enough to show this more relaxed side to her personality.

As the rumors say, these two have more than accumulated their share of 'experience' over the recent months. _"Over-exaggerated to death; still true, though"_ she thought briefly, but desperate whores; they are not – more like appreciative and advantageous pseudo-nymphos.

"_Still…",_ the voluptuous woman quietly thought to herself, after finishing her drink, her eyes now looking through the small window. _"Everyone's busy rebuilding the Seireitei, restructuring the Rukongai, improving relations with other species 'n shit,"_ she mused apathetically, a hand resting on her cheek, a scowl forming on her delicious lips, boredom evident in her features.

"_No excitement,"_ she continued distastefully, _"No enemies to fight, no time to hang out or chat with anybody else – too much of it is spent getting things back in order."_

Sighing mildly, she took her gaze away from the window, her light-green eyes moving from fellow Zanpakuto, to fellow Zanpakuto, before musing in her thoughts, _"Glad Haineko and Tobiume brought this up", _forming a malicious smirk as she watched the ever-enjoyable antics of the bloodthirsty devil and flirtatious catgirl. _"Gotta bone to pick with that hammy assface, so I'll be sure to thank Haineko and Tobiume later for this."_


	3. Far From Lovers

Chapter 3 – Kazeneko: Far From Lovers, Close Enough Friends (actual full title).

Placing her right hand onto the upturned table and her left onto the ground, strongly gripping the wooden contraption as she pulled herself upwards, her muscles tightening, her tail swaying somewhat distastefully, Haineko quickly pushed herself off from the ground and back onto her feet, tiredly mumbling a slightly agitated groan. Somewhat slouched forward, her eyes furrowed, her scowl present, Haineko slightly narrows her half-closed eyes, mildly glaring at the grinning devil-psycho called Kazeshini, taking the time to silently check out his – admittedly – attractive physique. Despite what some may think, even if she may not show it, Haineko recognizes and appreciates looks when presented, and this shadow-resembling devil is no exception. With a long, black-colored, red-outlined hair mane, Kazeshini sported a slender, but quite beefy figure, with literal dark skin and red outlines around his body, flickering every so often once excited. Furthermore, he even has a revealing choice of fashion, most notably showing off his muscular torso.

Along with the slight raising of her eyebrow, a small smirk reached up the cheeks of the oblivious catgirl, as her turquoise continued observing the remarkably well-toned figure of Kazeshini, examining every rugged muscle, every slender curve and every broad limb, briefly thinking to herself _"…Guess he inherited his looks from Shūhei… not really gonna complain, though…"_.

In regards to the soon-to-be former lieutenant of the Ninth Division, this pervy catgirl wasn't exaggerating in the least; bearing three scars over his right eye, a blue-striped tattoo running across his left cheek and over the bridge of his nose, the number "69" emblazoned on his left cheek, a choker around his throat and matching armbands on both upper arms, Shūhei Hisagi was one of the most attractive and desirable men in the Soul Society, with a remarkably well-built figure and a mature, yet outgoing personality to boot. Rumor has it the guy has a more vicious, ruthless image out on the battlefield, and that he has his eyes for fellow lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto of the Tenth Division.

"_Can't blame him"_ she thought with a brief shrug, her head tilting to the right, her eyelids closing for a slight moment, the palms on her hands turning over upward, then back downward, her arms following suit. _"Dude has good taste, at least." _she admitted in her thoughts, reopening her eyes, her pupils facing the left for a bit, resuming her stare at Kazeshini.

It's been said that Shūhei's a closet pervert, even that he has some pretty bad luck when it comes to women – Rangiku especially. 

_"Still, that 69 tattoo leaves a lot of room for thought…." _She thought to herself slyly, her smirk widening, a small, familiar feeling of warmth once again creeping up her cheeks, her tail eagerly swaying slightly in a zigzag-like fashion, and her hand slowly, alarmingly moving up to her chest area, the nails on her fingers absentmindedly tracing the upper half of her pink fur coat.

Given her state of mind at this time, she can be forgiven for impulsively eliciting this very next thought, _"If Kazeshini's the… 'Darker, less restrained' Shūhei… how good is he under a girls' skirt…?"_

With her tail almost immediately stopping its motions, Haineko widened her eyes, the size of her pupils shrinking quite a bit, as she retracted her hand from her chest down to her side, and rapidly, somewhat nervously shook her head from either side, attempting to erase further images from her mind. The head-shaking now ceased, she reopened her eyes and narrowed her vision, scanning the room to see if anyone else noticed; Chimpette was jugging down her drink, Snakey was leading Tobiume to the bench, Suzumebachi was floating around in the air, and Kazeshini had already taken his seat opposite to hers, the table having been correctly upturned by him several seconds prior.

Sighing mildly in tired relief, Haineko thought briefly to herself _"Guess nobody noticed that staring fest I had on him – last thing I need is people teasin' the fur off my coat about havin' __**another**_ _crush…"_

Blinking a few times, a small, sorrowful half-smile formed on her mildly crestfallen face, thinking back to the time she had a blissful crush (not making up this disclaimer) on another, younger Zanpakuto – the kind and friendly, but cowardly and sensitive pretty boy known as Narunosuke. Initially swayed only by his looks, Haineko quickly grew enamored by Narunosuke's outgoing personality, which included developing a protective demeanor towards him; tending to his wounds, bringing him food and looking out for his well-being whenever needed. What is especially striking is that the normally assertive, flirtatious catgirl, whom would usually get other people to blush, was _herself_ frequently blushing, stuttering, even cutely smiling whenever in regards to Narunosuke – an adorable, bashful, school girl-like crush, she had developed for him. However, it should still be noted that, although Narunosuke himself did grow fond of Haineko, he never truly displayed any romantic interest in her, apart from appreciative and outgoing feelings of friendship – maybe even viewing her as his 'cool big sis' figure - his "nee-san", something Haineko herself only later came to realize – sorrowfully, mind you - several days after.

Their 'relationship', however it should be called, was bound to die from the start; he was a masterless Zanpakuto, destined to run rampant in blind rage as his sense of identity gradually lessened. Once he turned into a rage-filled berserker, there was no other way around it – he was killed personally by Haineko, per her duty as a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. Although she largely had moved on with her life, there were still a few instances where she looked on in a daze, a sad smile inching on her delicious, symmetrical face, as if fondly reminiscing over her time with that wimpy, blue-haired pretty boy.

Brow furrowing, her ears twitched to either side, catching the clear sound of a somewhat suppressed laugh, her lips forming an irritated scowl and her eyes narrowing at the source – Kazeshini. Slouched forward in his seat, left arm resting on the table, right elbow positioned on the chair, Kazeshini bore a teasing grin, snickering almost in a maniac tone at the agitated catgirl. Her pink tail now swaying distastefully in a slow, snake-like fashion, Haineko tiredly released an irritated groan out from her hoarse throat, part of her lips inching further enough to reveal her sharply-toned fangs, before eliciting a slight smirk from the corner of her mouth.

"Hmm, enjoyed the view back there, Kazeshini_?"_ She said with a small hint of amusement, merged in with a sultry, flirtatious tone, her feet now inching further to the other side of that table, her slender curves slowly swaying from either side, her arms stretching outward to crack a few mildly aching bones, releasing a few enticing moans from her throat, her tail swaying calmly, in a rather relaxed, almost seductive manner.

The smirk never leaving his darkened, shadow-like features, his menacing eyes following her every move, appreciatively examining every curve on her voluptuous figure, the red outline on his skin flickering erratically, like a malfunctioning flashlight.

"Like how you enjoyed the view 'he' gave you that time you first met?" He teased with a slight chuckle, retaining his smirk; his blackened eyes still following the attractive catgirl, removing his elbow from the chair and slowly repositioning his head more towards the left, his lean frame following suit, until he was directly facing the table, his right fist now positioned on his cheek.

Placing her palm onto the other chair and slowly upturning it, her gaze never leaving Kazeshini, she cautiously laid her large, finely-shaped ass onto the wooden material, morphing a scowl, furrowing her brow and narrowing her eyes at her demonic companion at his remark - not in suspicion; Suzumebachi got wind of that Narunosuke deal from a drunken Rangiku; but in mild irritation. Raising her brow playfully, before forming another playful smirk, Haineko turned her head somewhat to the side, vertically facing down, with her eyes still directed towards Kazeshini, and said in a teasing fashion: "Heard from Wabisuke that ya' got yourself an illegitimate kid; whose hole did you fill up?"

At that remark, Kazeshini's smirk dropped, now forming more into a frown, the flickering of his skin outline stopping, the intimidating eyes now narrowing in agitation at the smirking feline. Moving his left arm up from the table, positioning it around the side, and over the chair, his back leaning back into the seat, Kazeshini raised his brow and a malicious grin in amusement, before saying in an equally teasing manner: "Coulda been yours, with yer track record."

Somehow appearing unfazed, Haineko instead let out a playful, cat-like purr, her smirk widening a bit, slightly slouching forward onto the table; her ample bosom resting onto the wooden contraption, her arm resting vertically onto the table, right in front of her chest, the claw-clad fingers slowly, playfully and lazily tracing several shapes on the wood. "Nah, I don't drink before headin' to the sack", she said somewhat nonchalantly, her tail swaying mildly, continuing confidently, "And I'd rather not bang most of them, to be honest; they're usually way too horny and jerkish, but I make sure to remember my customers' names and faces-"

"You call them 'customers'?" A pleasantly surprised Kazeshini interjected, grabbing hold of his black-red skull-resembling cup from Suzumebachi. "Kinda sounds like you make a profit outta ridin' their poles."

Again, without much of a reaction, Haineko swiftly pushed herself up from the table, her right arm still resting on the table, her left hand taking hold of her black and gold, feline-resembling cup from Suzumebachi, briefly watching the golden-lit fairy ascend back into the air, grab hold of a small bottle cap onto the table and rush over to Tobiume at the bench. With the cup a few meters from her mouth, Haineko said nonchalantly, "Not really my style; what would I even do with all that money?" Letting the cold air form the water graze her lips, the cup placed a few inches in front of her, Haineko continued with "Besides, most 'a theirs were way too limpy 'n hairy for me to even look at, much less touch; seems like yours, on the other hand, was a bit too big for you to pull out in time."

Another irritated expression befell on the slaughter-inducing devil; furrowed brows, narrowed eyes, scowled lips and an annoyed snarl escaped from his mouth, but instead of remaining calm enough to recover as quick as the other times, he noticed a slight tinge of amusement in her voice tone. After almost slamming his left palm onto the table, leaning his torso forward, Kazeshini retorted with: "The hell are you so happy about that whole thing with the kid?"

She raised an eyebrow, the coy smirk back on her lips, releasing another sultry purr, her tail still swaying seductively, and with a characteristically flirtatious tone in her lovely voice, simply said to her devil friend in a singsong tone "Not tellin'."

Groaning mildly, Kazeshini removed his palm from the table, repositioning his arm back over the chair and sat backward onto it, moving his other arm to envelop his long fingers around his skull cup and gulping down the refreshing water for a few short moments, removing it from his mouth, but keeping it in his hand, his more laid-back attitude, plus the psychotic grin, quickly forming in his features. "I just found the kid in some hut; his dad was killed by those Tōjū way back then", he said, suddenly calmer and slightly more carefree.

Right as she was about to retort, her usual mischievous expression soon fell from her features, instead replaced by suspicion. "_Wait… he's not usually this relaxed – or sincere… and he's not one for planning things out, either"_ she mused in her thoughts, also remembering the purpose of them being here, before realization dawned, her triangular cat ears twitching, her eyes narrowing and her lips scowling; _"This dude's up to something… he could screw everything over, if we're not careful around him…" _

Seeming to ignore Haineko's hardening glare, Kazeshini took another gulp from his beverage, ice cubes and water refreshingly sliding through his mouth and down his throat, removing the beverage form his mouth and placing it back onto the table. Licking his lips maliciously, he sat back comfortably, resting his hands behind his head, lifting his head and raising his eyes upward, and smirked at Haineko's hard green gaze.

"No need to act all suspicious," he began calmly, straying from his usual sarcasm and antagonistic mischief. "Everyone here is on the same side. Ya' think I'm gonna mess it all up 'cause of how much I love violence?" He smirked slightly, amusement once again evident in his voice tone, removing his left arm from the back of his head, gradually reaching across the table to grab Haineko's cup. His fingers ensnared on the beverage, Kazeshini coyly waved it in front of her face, the liquid spilling out the sides, soaring through the air and slamming onto the hard, dry pavement every time he did so. With a half-coy, half-sarcastic voice tone, he lazily told her "Chill out. Your face doesn't look good when you're all tense."

With an agitated snarl, Haineko swiftly and forcefully snatched her drink back, momentarily stabilizing it by holding the cold cup stock-still, her mistrustful glare never leaving sight of Kazeshini for several more moments. Sighing mildly, coupled with a slight yawn, she removed her gaze from her bloodthirsty devil, towards her cat-like cup and tiredly took a sip. Once several ice cubes rapidly burned through the back of her throat, almost immediately thereafter, her eyes widened and her body kneeled forward, viciously coughing the beverage out, liquid and cube alike spilling all over the floor. Gasping for air, clutching her abnormally large chest with her right hand, her eyes squeezed shut.

Gradually slowing her breath, inhaling through her nose and exhaling out through her mouth, her stomach raising and descending with every breath, she calmed her body enough to sit back up, her arm back on the table and her hand on the chair, facing the somewhat concerned expression on Kazeshini, and saying tiredly, "I'm fine. Just drank a bit too much."

A coy grin tugged at the corners of Kazeshini's mouth. "Got _that_ from your mom, huh?"

In an immediate response, veins on Haineko's temple started pulsing, an agitated expression befalling on her pretty face. She stated angrily "I never chose to inherit this liquor-loving shit from Rangiku!" Her tail flicking like a whip toward Kazeshini's face, as if in a snappy response. "I can't help if I drink too much, sake or not! Plus, that last one was ridiculously cold!"

"Oh, so you don't like chilled sake?" Kazeshini replied with another grin, raising his eyebrow in mock surprise.

"I do, but that's not my point!" she growled, slamming the cup onto the table, ignoring as the remaining contents escaped the rim of the cup; her hard glare literally boring into Kazeshini's menacing eyes. The unimpressed devil simply stared back with a bored expression, leaning his upper torso forward, until he was nearly inches away from Haineko's face; silently staring at one another for few long minutes, the angered glare of the catgirl boring into the passive gaze of the devil, neither seeming to relent.

Finally sighing in defeat, with a furrowed brow and a slight frown, Haineko closed her turquoise eyes, tilting her head diagonally to the left, placing her right arm vertically onto the table and resting her chin on her left palm tiredly, taking the time to savor the near-tranquil silence, oblivious to, or outright ignoring the adjacent stare given by Kazeshini, as he silently observed her every move (and curve) once again.

Back to tranquility, Haineko calmly listens in on the breezy wind swooshing through the room, an owl randomly hooting on a tree and the nearby voices from her fellow bench-sitting Zanpakuto friends. Slightly opening her right eye, she observed the crescent-shaped, silver-white moon out through the window, the passing seconds calming her mood down every little bit, before closing her eyes for another moment, slowly reopening them once again, this time facing Kazeshini.

"Sorry. Just a bit bummed out today, that's all." She said sincerely, in a much calmer, more relaxed tone, her previous anger and suspicion beforehand now past, paving way for her to exhibit a more laid-back demeanor, before finishing with "There's nothing to do nowadays; no drama, no battles, no gossip, nothing." Chimpette and Haineko weren't the only ones sharing that sentiment; that's the general consensus of nearly all other Zanpakuto, but most end up as busy as their Shinigami counterparts.

Returning to his previously laid-back and relaxed state from earlier, Kazeshini's wicked grin stretched from a dark ear to a dark ear, coyly stating, "Other than those random drinking parties by Captain Grabass-Strawhat, those hour-long dates with random guys, those fashion-hunting days with Rangiku and that Orihime chick, those day-long sessions with the guys you _did_ bang-?"

"Urusai." She interjected, a hint of playful amusement in her tone, her trademark smirk forming once again on the corner of her lips.


	4. Unlikely Friends

Chapter 4: Unlikely Friends.

As the 'tension' between Haineko and Kazeshini took off, Chimpette, Snakey, and Tobiume had quickly caught on, raising their brows suggestively, eliciting amused smirks and sipping their beverages slowly, while looking down at their cups and turning their heads toward one another, trying to be as casual as possible, even as their ears were angled toward Haineko and Kazeshini. Found sitting inside the now-empty bottle cap, located between the sadistic devil and the voluptuous catgirl, a nearly snickering Suzumebachi had slyly thought to herself, _"This is one of the pluses of having friends – they can tease your skin off over whatever sort of tension you get with your pseudo-fiances." _

Smirking under her breath, Tobiume took another slow sip, while narrowing her eyes toward Kazeshini and Haineko. _"I really need to chat it up more often with this guy,_" Tobiume thought quietly, appreciating the devil's seeming skill at getting under the young catgirl's furry hide. Suggestively raising her left eyebrow_,_ Tobiume observed the subtle body language of Haineko and Kazeshini alike.

What had especially caught Tobiume's attention was the random flickering of Kazeshini's red outline on his skin. "Hmmm," the kimono girl had quietly said, inspecting the curves and bulges of Kazeshini's fair musculature, as well as that of Haineko's curvy figure. Smirking coyly and turning her head slightly towards either side, first to Snakey, then to Chimpette, and finally at Suzumebachi back at the table, Tobiume observed the mannerisms of her three partners.

Bringing her cup to cover the lower half of her jaw line, Chimpette was shaking of laughter behind her cup, keeping both of her hands over the cup to cover as much of her mouth as she could. Moving her left leg over her right one and placing her elbows down onto her thighs, Chimpette shifted her arms upwards, repositioning her hands and cup over to the tip of her nose, and biting her upper lip to hold her laughing urges back.

Still hiding inside the bottle cap, Suzumebachi placed her tiny hands onto the edges of the cap, slowly peeking her head out to alternatively observe either of the two belligerents duke it out, while suppressing her snickering and covering her smirks by exposing only the upper half of her pretty face. Meanwhile, Snakey simply swayed along with the rhythm of the argument, his well-lit eyes glowing in mischief.

Though urging to speak, Tobiume knew that should she let loose the slightest whisper, the acute-hearing Haineko would've easily heard it and confronted her over it. Tobiume stared down at the contents of her cup, dipped her finger in it, and started lazily tracing the table with her fingertip, frantically racking her brain on how to silently communicate with her partners over Haineko and Kazeshini. Almost immediately thereafter, she started doodling on the bench, the kimono girl abruptly stopped, blinking thrice at her stupidity and smiled triumphantly. Repositioning her free hand upwards, Tobiume gently tapped Chimpette's shoulder, prompting the near-snickering monkey lady to move her eyes toward the kimono gal, her suppressed laugh subsiding slowly as she observed Tobiume eagerly write on the table.

(Look at how his outline flickers, look at how she licks the corner of her lips; they ENJOY arguing :P).

Interest peaking, Chimpette and Snakey leaned across the table, curving backward to see the message. The mischievous grins from both the snake boy and monkey lady widened tremendously, but remained silent, slowly sitting back down to avoid attracting attention from the others. Still grinning, Chimpette dipped her own fingertip into the beverage, slowly writing out a reply onto the table.

(They'd be a _vicious_ pair in the sack. :3)

Scowling slightly, her eyebrow lifting cringingly, Tobiume wrote down with her finger, covered in water - (I didn't need to see that image, just now. :|)

(It's better than seeing Gegetsuburi with Hozukimaru. XO) Snakey replied, grinning still.

(Brain now fucked beyond repair.) Tobiume replied back, cringing even more.

Hatching an idea, Chimpette's eyes suddenly seemed to brighten, the corners of her mouth twitching maliciously.

(Let's get Haineko and Kazeshini together. We'll put up a camera to record everything they'll do and use it as future blackmail for later. ;3)

(They'd never work out, but it's worth it for the hilarity). Snakey replied back, cautiously looking at both Kazeshini and Haineko, checking to see if they noticed yet.

(Actually, they already act like a couple – we just need to get them to realize it. THAT'S where we step in.). Chimpette replied, a hint of a smile creeping her features as she finished writing.

(They've already let it flow naturally, and it's gone at a good level so far; it'd be pretty bad if we basically forced them to get together). Tobiume protested, slightly shaking her head from side to side in disapproval, her eyebrows furrowed.

(We'll just get them into a situation where they'll end up getting 'closer'). Snakey said with a slight giggle.

(And we'll use it as blackmail for the future. ;3) Chimpette wrote with a devious smirk.

(Yes, because a snake-boy with a giant tail, a monkey lady with fur-like coat-skin and a girl with fireballs are the _best_ stalkers in history.) Tobiume dryly wrote down.

(And those same three passing messages left and right while _in front_ of their 'targets' is one of the smartest ideas they've ever done since they met). Snakey wrote down just as dryly, playfully smirking as a slightly annoyed Tobiume begrudgingly wrote down: (They haven't noticed us yet; your tail's covering the messages).

While Snakey and Tobiume traded a few more remarks about his tail, Chimpette finished writing down another message on the table, sparing a small, narrowed look at Suzumebachi, accompanied with a smirk. The fairy-like Zanpakuto tilted her head to the side; her eyebrows curving in confusion, before observing Chimpette slightly tilt her head downward to what she wrote. Curiously reading the message Chimpette wrote for the fairy girl, her mischievous smirk curving wider and wider, Suzumebachi lifted her head toward Chimpette, nodding gleefully.

* * *

After a few moments of silence between the two, the subdued chatter in the background disrupting the solitude, Haineko sighed, setting her head down on the table with a hard thunk, banging it a few times before raising it again, a reddish-purple bruise forming on her sensitive forehead. How she failed to notice the throbbing bruise, no one will ever figure out.

"I don't know, Kazeshini," she muttered, somewhat in a subdued, mature tone. Bored as she can easily get, these moments of unimpressed lethargy and sleepy near-melancholy are among the few instances where the normally flirtatious, perverted and outgoing Haineko actually appears calm and relaxed. In some aspects, her boredom shows off a somewhat more mature side to her personality, whether or not she herself realized it.

"I don't know." She began, still in that bored tone. "I'm half-expecting whatever plan we come up with to fail, because of all those other attempts, but really, I'm just dying of curiosity and boredom."

"My solution: Let me 'relieve' you of that stress, sweetheart." Kazeshini said is a husky, charming voice tone, grinning widely.

A sharp-clawed paw shot out towards the smirking face, missing right as Kazeshini effortlessly leaned back into his chair. Leaning over the cold table, Haineko repeatedly attempted to scratch his face with both hands, pink blurs waving in front of the demon zanpakuto's face. Kazeshini managed to lean further back, balancing himself by pressing his legs against the bottom of the bench, and swiped out with one hand. Once feeling the soft fur-like cloth, he reached out with his other hand, catching Haineko's right hand and tugging on Haineko's hands to pull him up, finding himself face to face with the werecat herself.

Haineko's rage was apparent in her eyes, her mouth, and even her ears; her eyes were hard and cold, her mouth was twisted in a snarl, her ears were twitching violently, as if steam was about to shoot out. Rolling his eyes, sarcastically, Kazeshini slowly pushed her back.

"Easy to bore, easy to scare, easy to piss off; that's a cat in a nutshell, or at least just you." Kazeshini proclaimed calmly, a scowl now evident in his expression. "Why do you think the world centers around you? Hell, less than half of the things you have planned will work in your favor. If you really are dying of boredom, deal with it yourself, since you don't seem to want my help." He said truthfully, still in his calm voice tone.

"Whatever help you're offering, I can take from someone else." She said, slowly calming down at each passing second.

"I've got plenty of experience 'there', sweetheart, just ask Itegumo, but I'll wait for when you ask for it." He shot back, somewhat sarcastically, with a bit of a chuckle.

Ignoring the demon's previous comment to keep her cool, her brow furrowed and her scowl deepened, turning her head slightly to the right, now observing the interior pool, Haineko replied in a somewhat irritated tone - "You can blame my boredom on seeing and getting too little action these past weeks."

"Anyway," she said, motioning her eyes to meet that of her devil companion. "I don't think the world is based on me; I'm just frustrated."

"You're frustrated and the plan hasn't even fuckin' started yet. What's your problem? Sake clouded your patience, sweetheart?" Kazeshini retorted, snorting rudely, repositioning his waist backward, pulling his head upward and eliciting another scowl, seemingly preparing himself to dodge another strike from her.

"I was _never_ born with patience!" Haineko growled angrily, her nails violently scratching the table, her ears twitching irritably, her turquoise eyes fixed on Kazeshini's own. "Much as I _really_ love Rangiku as a mother, there are things I _hate_ from her that I inherited out of my will! Impatience, boredom, promiscuity and a short temper are among 'em, so unless you wanna see just how much of a sadistic _bitch _I am in the bedroom, don't reason with me while I'm trying to blow off some steam, _sweetheart_!" She spat out in a rage, briefly alarming her other companions to the sight. Apart from Haineko's random panting, a near-silence had seemingly replaced the angered shouting and playful chatter from before, allowing her other companions to return to their previous interaction in the wake of the prolonged tension. As friendly as a cat may be, they are particularly vicious when angered; a side that damn-near nobody saw of Haineko in recent years.

"I'm only trying to help a friend in need, Haineko." Kazeshini replied calmly, undeterred by his companions' outburst, his scowl deepening. Before she could reply, he cut her off with - "Growl at the hand that gives you food and the goods will be taken back, never to be offered again."

As the last sentence sunk in, Haineko bit her lip and closed her eyes, slowly inhaling through her nose, and slowly exhaling trough her mouth, acutely listening in for the subdued sounds of her surroundings. Every time she breathed, she could hear a piece of her surroundings – the cool air breezing past the large tree on the outside; the calm wave of the pool motioning slowly back and forth within this hideout; the small chirping noises from animals nearby the window; the rapid heart beat in her chest; the alarmed panting of one slightly terrified Suzumebachi; the slight swishing of liquid in a cup; the mischievous, indiscrete chatter from her partners; the war cry of some boy shouting 'Eisu!'. Anything within the boundaries of her acute hearing, she took in, gradually calming herself down.

Slowly opening her eyes, she intended to speak, but instead saw a scowling Kazeshini, with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, glaring back at Tobiume and Zabimaru. Instinctively, she looked back at the three in question and scowled a bit, standing back up and motioning herself towards the mischievous trio.

* * *

Meanwhile, the three began trading ideas over how to get Haineko and Kazeshini to bond, with mixed results

(Then again, what if we just left them alone in this room?)

(They'd claw out each others' throats within seven minutes; have you _seen_ how she tried to strangle him just now?)

As Chimpette began writing down her own idea, Tobiume spotted Haineko quietly walking their way, suspicion etched onto her face. Tobiume bit her lip anxiously, her heart pounding. Thinking quickly, she dropped her cup, the contents spilling out onto the table like a tidal wave, erasing any evidence of their conversation and hitting the edge of the table with a hard thunk, falling onto the floor, slightly chipped. "Something on the cup pricked me," she explained hastily, picking up the cup and pointing at the chipped middle. She sent a warning glance toward Chimpette, who nodded.

Haineko narrowed her eyes, but let it slide. "We need to discuss the plan," she said, and briskly strode away. As the four walked towards the table, Kazeshini and Suzumebachi having gathered three more chairs in reparation, Haineko gave out a small smile, thinking briefly to herself – _"Why prolong your boredom when you can get rid of it yourself? Probably because you were too disheartened to do anything, until a friend of yours had to force the resolve back into 'ya."_

Smiling just a bit more, Haineko said softly, enough so only she could hear – "Glad I got these as friends; they can tease you, flirt with you, argue with you, insult you, fight you, hurt you and get you in trouble in normal times, but in others, they'll protect you, defend you, look out for you, fight for you, sometimes argue with you, take the blame from you, share some burdens with you, comfort you, even love you, all in their own ways. With friends like these, there's no such thing as boredom."


	5. Chatters or Planners?

Chapter 5: Chatters or Planners?

A moment of awkward silence befalls the Zanpakuto, as they sat in perfect silence and stillness; a loss for words regarding any ideas over how to unmask Senbonzakura. Certain pairs of eyes were observing their various compatriots, anticipating some good ideas from _them _instead. Their breathing felt heavier, as the quiet air pierced through the atmosphere; a pin drop could be heard from outside the hideout. As the silence continued, some Zanpakuto attempted to kill the awkwardness by randomly moving their limbs or readjusting their positions on the chairs. From outside the window, you could see Kazeshini hunched over, his right arm lying beneath his chest and facing sideways, with his left formed into a half-fist and placed on his cheek. His brow was furrowed and his eyes seemed tense, with his red skin-outline seemingly _decreasing_ its flair. As he moved his eyes around the room, he glazed over to Tobiume at his right. From his observations, she had her right hand holding her head, her fingers twirling some of her hair as she struggled to hatch up an idea. Her brow was also furrowed, accompanied by a frown and brown eyes staring at the table.

After a few seconds, an impassive Kazeshini turned his eyes over to his left, where Chimpette sat with her legs crossed. As her furrow stiffened and her eyes closed, she grinded her teeth and folded her arms below her breasts, emphasizing her ample bosom to a fair degree. As he glared at her cleavage, Kazeshini noticed that the strands of her fur seemed to rise stiffen in alarm; he turned his eyes over to the table, before she reopened her eyes. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance at her demonic comrade, Chimpette noted that his skin-outline lightened up just a bit. Raising her right brow, she looked at his eerie, yet healthy six-pack, noticing that he wasn't breathing.

_"Something's off about him,"_ Chimpette mused in her thoughts_. "I can buy that he isn't a clone, or a copy, or an illusion, but he's still been acting strangely"_ she determined speculatively, her eyes observing the rest of his figure. In her analysis, she resumed her musings with _"You can't replicate a Zanpakuto spirit, but you can possess one, and draw one out of their Shinigami."_ Her olive-green eyes observed his hair-mane, noticing the abundance of spiked ends.

"_His hair's messed up, too,"_ Chimpette noted with a smirk, amused at his apparent frustration with thinking. More seriously, she resumed her thoughts with _"He never struck me as a charmer, or a flirt, even when it came down to annoying someone, like his pseudo-girlfriend there,"_ referring to Haineko. _"I don't think a one-nighter with Itegumo is enough to change anyones' personality, either. Hell, even if he's got a thing for Haineko, he'd act like a Tsundere around her, minus the blushing." _Chimpette smiled for a bit, as she mentally pictured an awkward Kazeshini proposing to Haineko by throwing scythes at her head and saying 'I couldn't find a ring!'

"_I'm sure that Haineko herself noticed the differences in Kazeshini. I'll make sure to get answers through this 'arrangement' with Tobiume and Snake." _As she finished that thought, Chimpette started debating whether to tell Haineko about it, or to let things run their course_._ "_She can definitely handle herself, but she might object to the idea of us matchmaking the two of them, even if we had a reason for it." _Chimpette predicted in her thoughts, reminding herself of the stubborn temperament of the werecat.

"_His time with Itegumo was awkward, but steamy. If nothing else, once we can get him with Haineko, we can analyze his body language to see any further changes to his demeanor." _She declared with confidence, resolving to get Haineko and Kazeshini together for that purpose. In spite of that, however, Chimpette felt apprehensive about informing anyone else on the subtle changes that she noticed with Kazeshini. It could start a panic, and it could lead to his arrest, under suspicions of being a spy or possessed. The Soul Society was already just coming out of a conflict with the Zanpakuto, and the idea of something else possessing how many others was far from something that they were ready to tackle.

After some deliberation, Chimpette turned her head to look at her compatriot, Snakey. He was looking right back at her, appearing slightly more apprehensive about Kazeshini than his other half. His posture – tail holding him up on the chair, with hands on his sides and legs crossed - remained deceptively calm, but his bluish eyes were tense. Chimpette didn't need to ask; she could tell just from his eyes. He was every bit as suspicious of Kazeshini as Chimpette, but he looks anxious, and his chest seemed to feel heavy, if his hunching slightly forwards is any indication.

In the time that Chimpette was glaring at Kazeshini, Snakey gazed at Suzumebachi and Tobiume; they were in the same boat as Zabimaru regarding Kazeshini. As far as Snakey himself could tell, they weren't thinking about ways to unmask Senbonzakura – they were trying to analyze Kazeshinis' body language, and reached the same conclusion as Zabimaru, before going over how to unmask Senbozakura to keep from seeming suspicious. The reason for his anxiety was clear to Chimpette – _"He's worried that Kazeshini might know of our scheming",_ she realized without a single change in her posture. As Chimpette looked to Haineko, she noticed that the werecat was glaring right at Kazeshini, her brow furrowed, her fangs tingling and her nails lightly clipping the table wood. Kazeshini himself remained in the same posture as before, but his eyes were closed, and his outline was dimmer. A quick glance from Zabimaru at Haineko was enough to get the latter to back down, avoiding any further confrontation.

Finally, someone decided to speak up. "How much time has passed since we first sat down on the chairs?" queries an annoyed Suzumebachi, who was slumped over at her now-empty bottle cap.

"More than there should've been." Tobiume retorted with a slightly annoyed tone. Too much time passed, and they honestly could've left by now, but beggars can't be choosers, and Tobiume was just about ready to finish up this meeting. "At any rate, I've been thinking through all that Haineko and I went through to get Senbonzakura." Tobiume spoke with a cool, mature tone, her arm now resting on the table as she looked up at her fellow Zanpakuto.

"Three things we've noticed – peaking from afar won't work; he wears that mask even as he's sleeping, showering and eating." Tobiume outlined with an annoyed tone, still bewildered at the lengths that Senbonzakura would go with that mask. "Tricking him won't work; he's pretty random." Haineko interjected with a tone of passive annoyance, her eyes closed, her face tilted upwards and her brow still furrowed, before saying, with a dry tone "If you paint some bullseye on a pie, and tell him to shoot at it with a gun, he'll kick a tree instead."

"One moment, he's as clueless as a sheep, even when it's obvious to everyone else, but in the other, he's as curious as a monkey." Tobiume stated with the same 'passive annoyance' tone as her werecat friend. "Like messing with a remote control because it has red buttons on it."

"And he keeps spare masks in his sleeves, and fighting him is out of the question." Chimpette said impassively, mentally facepalming at his destruction of the Seireitei back when Zabimaru and Senbonzakura were accidentally trapped in the Department of Research and Development.

"Do we need any help?" asked a calmer Snakey, his curiosity replacing his earlier feelings of anxiety.

"Katen Kyokotsu," Haineko answered immediately. "If I know Tobiume well enough, those two are actually part of the plan."

"That's a good idea, actually." Tobiume stated with a playful smirk, which Haineko returned by coyly sticking her tongue out.

"We can seduce Senbonzakura by having Zabimaru merge into a single woman." Tobiume stated eagerly, surprising the rest of her companions (sans Haineko) with her brazenness. Merging together into a tall, attractive young woman was an ability that Zabimaru used once – to pull a prank on Renji. "Using it on Senbonzakura could be trickier, but worth it for his reaction." Chimpette said with a playful tone.

"They can lure him in, I can knock him out, and Katen Kyokotsu can hold him down." Kazeshini said with a grin plastered on his face, eager to take down the Zanpakuto of the most famous Shinigami captain in the Soul Society. "I can tie him up to keep him from escaping, without him noticing." Suzumebachi proclaimed with a smirk, exuding confidence in her incredible speed and small size.

"I'll tear apart his clothes to keep him from getting any spare masks." Haineko added eagerly, a flirty grin on her gorgeous features as she pictures the sight of a half-naked Senbonzakura, held down by hand and ankle-cuffs. "I can remove his mask as the finishing touch." Tobiume finished with a smile, happy that they reached an agreement and an idea that just might work on Senbonzakura. Not wanting to feel left out in the planning, Snakey interjected with "And we'll take a few snapshots of his face, and show it all to the Womens' Association." He replied with a devious grin.

"Now then," Haineko yawned, stretching her limbs and cracking her back once more, before saying "Let's move out!" She said eagerly, as her friends, rejuvenated with excitement, ran out of the hideout to prepare. "With friends like these, you're never bored." Haineko said to no one in particular, as she began jumping and running along the forests' tree branches, heading straight to the Seireitei.


End file.
